Early opt-in to 2019 release wave 2

09/04/2019

11 minutes to read

In this article

[This topic is pre-release documentation and is subject to change.]

You can enable the features coming in the 2019 release wave 2 update by opting in to the updates in the Power Platform Admin center. Opting in will enable all changed user experience updates for Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement, which will be enabled by default to everyone starting in 2019 release wave 2.

Most of the early opt-in features are end user impacting changes. Check out the "Enabled for" column in the early access features table to know the features that will roll out to the end users automatically in October 2019.

Which environment can be used for early opt-in to 2019 release wave 2 updates?

You can enable trial and Sandbox environments for the 2019 release wave 2 release. This will allow you the flexibility to explore features, and then adopt them across your environments at a rate that suits your business.

Important

While you can enable a Production environment, we highly recommend that you create a copy of your Production environment as a Sandbox environment to try out the 2019 release wave 2 updates. After enabling the 2019 release wave 2 update, it can’t be turned off. Therefore, it’s necessary to first test the updates in a Sandbox environment prior to enabling them in a Production environment that could impact your users in the organization.

By activating the 2019 release wave 2 updates opt-in, you will get features and updates that are end user impacting only. These and other changes will be enabled automatically for everyone in October 2019.

How do I enable the 2019 release wave 2 updates

We highly recommend that you create a copy of your Production environment as a Sandbox environment to try out the 2019 release wave 2 updates. After enabling the 2019 release wave 2 update, it can’t be turned off. Therefore, it’s necessary to first test the updates in a Sandbox environment prior to enabling it in a Production environment that could impact your users in the organization.

Select Manage.

Select Update now to activate the 2019 release wave 2 updates and proceed through confirmation dialogs.

Current apps for which you have licenses are updated; new apps are not installed.

You can verify activation by going to Settings ()> About where you'll see a screen like the following:

In Unified Interface

In web client interface

Note

You need to select About from a Customer Engagement app page that's displayed in the Unified Interface such as Sales Hub or Customer Service Hub pages.

The server version will not be updated to the next version after activation.

What features and experiences are available in the 2019 release wave 2 update?

The 2019 release wave 2 update has three kinds of functionalities (as with any other update):

Updates to existing user experiences that are updated automatically.

Updates to existing user experiences that are updated by the admin and maker.

Updates to admin and maker functionality.

By activating the 2019 release wave 2 updates opt-in, you will get updates to existing user experience only. The exact list of features that are updates to existing user experiences are listed on the early access page.

The release wave 2 plan lists other features across Dynamics 365 – Sales, Service, Marketing, and PowerApps (and platform). Features that are not updates to the existing user experience will not be part of the 2019 release wave 2 updates opt-in. They can either be new functionalities or additions to maker and admin functionality.

Check the status of the update and troubleshoot

An update can take several hours.

To check status during the update, select the environment in the Power Platform Admin center and review the Updates section.

Use the following table to check the status of the 2019 release wave 2 update and see troubleshooting recommendations.

Run the Marketing setup wizard to update your instance to the August 2019 release. This will install both the August 2019 Production update and the early-access features when you run it on an environment where early access is enabled. For instructions, see Re-run the Marketing setup wizard.

Note

If you update your Marketing app to the August 2019 release before opting in for early access, then you must re-run the Marketing setup wizard after opting in to install and enable the early access features.

FAQ

When will the 2019 release wave 2 features be enabled?

Starting October 5, 2019, we will enable the 2019 release wave 2 features (end user impacting only) across our global customer base. Your environment/org will be updated during one of the maintenance windows over a weekend, starting on the dates listed below. The specific dates that the update will occur will be published in the Message Center, and each post will include the date, maintenance window, and a link to the Weekly Release Notes that contain the list of optimizations, fixes, and enhancements. Each environment/org should see the new features and build numbers by Monday morning, local time.

On the above dates, your environments will have the 2019 release wave 2 updates automatically applied for the Dynamics 365 platform and apps. It will not require any action from you.

For Dynamics 365 for Marketing, you need to explicitly upgrade your app in the Dynamics 365 admin center.

If you want to enable the 2019 release wave 2 features (end user impacting only) before the update reaches your region, you can enable the updates yourself by opting in to the 2019 release wave 2 update between February 1, 2019, and the date your region will be scheduled to have the features turned on.

To know the list of end user impacting features, check our Dynamics 365 features for early access. Note: End user impacting features for the 2019 release wave 2 are targeting the Unified Interface only. Web client environments/orgs will not be impacted by these updates.

Will the version number be updated with the 2019 release wave 2 update?

No, the version number will not change with the 2019 release wave 2 update.

Will Microsoft provide a free Sandbox environment at no charge for testing updates?

You will need to create a Sandbox environment (a copy of the Production environment), which is not provided for free.

When will the updates be available for testing in the Sandbox environment?

The updates are available now. All you need to do is activate the 2019 release wave 2 update as described above.

Which updates will have an opt-in switch and which ones will be provided by default?

Only the existing user experience changes are provided (and enabled by default) with the 2019 release wave 2 update opt-in; the rest will be available later. Existing user experiences will not be impacted by the update, unless the updates are not made to the existing solutions. Here are all the features and updates provided.

What is the process for reporting issues with the update?

How do I prepare for the 2019 release wave 2 update?

The following flow chart shows the steps needed to enable the 2019 release wave 2 release to your Production environment prior to it being enabled by default in 2019 release wave 2. The table that follows the flow chart provides information about the steps.

(1)

Have a Sandbox environment as a copy for the Production environment

We strongly recommend enabling the 2019 release wave 2 release first in a Sandbox environment that is a replica or copy of the existing Production environment. This is to make sure that a customer has validated the updates in another environment prior to impacting the current Production apps and environment.

Also, once the 2019 release wave 2 updates are enabled for an environment, they cannot be turned off like any other setting.

Create a copy of the Production environment into a Sandbox environment

If you don’t have a Sandbox copy of your Production environment, you can create a copy in the Dynamics 365 admin center.

Create a backup of the Production environment

Recommended before merging Sandbox with changes into Production.

(2)

Enable the 2019 release wave 2 opt-in from the Power Platform Admin center

Starting August 2, 2019, you will be able to enable the 2019 release wave 2 release for the environment. Once enabled for an environment, you cannot turn this off for the environment. To remove the 2019 release wave 2 updates from your environment, you will have to reset the environment. We do not recommend doing this unless necessary. It's important to try the 2019 release wave 2 updates in your Sandbox environment first prior to enabling them in your Production environment.

(3)

Do you have Dynamics 365 for Marketing?

If you have the Marketing app, you will need to manually enable it according to the process listed above. Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps on your environment like Sales and Service will be automatically updated to the 2019 release wave 2 version once you enable the update.

(4)

We recommend testing all the scenarios thoroughly in this step

If you have any Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps in your environment like Sales, Service, and Marketing, they need to be explicitly updated to the 2019 release wave 2 version.

As you verify the experience in your preview environment, if you find any regressions, functional, or performance issues related to the 2019 release wave 2 updates that could impact your business, report them to Microsoft by opening a support ticket or through the Dynamics 365 forum.

(10)

Enable the 2019 release wave 2 updates in your Sandbox environment

You should: 1. Update customizations to leverage or respond to new capabilities.2. Update internal readiness materials based on new features or user experiences.3. Prepare internal change management to run in October (training, communications, and so on).

(11)

Enable the 2019 release wave 2 updates in your Production environment

We recommend enabling these updates during business downtime after you have validated that your key scenarios work as expected. Note that once the 2019 release wave 2 update is enabled, it cannot be reversed. However, you can restore to a prior backup version of the updated environment if needed.